Vikram Solar in pact with Israel co to develop drinking water from air

The company said the larger objective of this collaboration is to make available drinking water to the remote locations of the country using its rich natural resources – air and humidityDebapriya Mondal | ETEnergyWorld | March 29, 2017, 22:04 IST

New Delhi: Engineering, procurement and construction company Vikram Solar today said the company has signed a Memorandum of understanding with Israel’s Water-Gen to develop hygienic drinking water solutions in the country.

“The technology developed by Water-Gen to create and store drinking water by harvesting condensation from the air, provides a potential solution to the clean and safe drinkable water crisis faced by India,” Vikram Solar said in a release.

The company said the larger objective of this collaboration is to make available drinking water to the remote locations of the country using its rich natural resources – air and humidity.

“Combined with Vikram Solar’s technological prowess and expertise in the solar power domain, the attempt is to conceptualize a product most suitable for the Indian market requirements. Incorporating use of solar power into the Water-Gen technology is expected to further enhance the energy efficiency and availability of power for the technology in remote locations, through use of solar panels,” Vikram Solar said.

Under the MoU, Water-Gen will share their technology and know-how with Vikram Solar to manufacture the products in India. Vikram Solar will be responsible for developing and managing the manufacturing, sales, marketing and distribution of the products.

Initially, Vikram Solar will develop three categories of the product catering to industrial, commercial utilities, and residential segments. There would be further plans to establish a Research & Development centre in India for the same. Vikram Solar plans a minimum investment of USD 100 million for the endeavour.

“We are happy to collaborate with Water-Gen to see how we can merge the two products – solar and water, into a single offering and make it Renew, Restore, Revive, Refresh, and therefore Re-focus on building lives sustainably,” Gyanesh Chaudhary, Managing and Chief Executive Officer, Vikram Solar said.

Water-Gen’s Atmospheric Water-Generation Unit uses its "GENius" heat exchanger to chill air and condense water vapour, quickly generating clean drinking water from the air and from polluted water, efficiently and cheaply in almost any climate and with a minimal use of energy and electricity.

The clean air is passed through the heat exchanger system where it gets dehumidified. The water is then removed from the air and collected in a tank inside the unit. From there the water is passed through an extensive water filtration system, which cleans it from possible chemical and microbiological contaminations.

The water generator is more energy efficient than that of other such companies as it uses the cooled air created by the unit to chill incoming air. Water-Gen has systems that can produce up to 7,000 litres of clean drinking water a day depending on temperature and humidity conditions.